1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system for simultaneously operating a plurality of conditioning units such as heaters, cooling apparatus or fans in a discrete space so that a desired set point temperature in the space is obtained substantially uniformly throughout the space. As used herein the term xe2x80x9cconditioning unitsxe2x80x9d includes heaters, fan heaters, cooling units, room coolers and fans.
The utilization of portable conditioning units such as space heaters and/or room coolers to heat and/or cool large areas is a conventional practice even though not very efficient. Typically, the heaters and/or cooling units are placed at one end of the room to point the hot or cold air flowing from the heating or cooling units towards the center of the area. This is a very inefficient way to heat or cool a space because the hot or cold air must migrate from one end of the space to the other, which results in uneven temperature balance in the room. If a heating unit is employed, the warmest temperature will be attained nearest to the heater while the remote space will be cooler. Conversely, if a room cooler is employed, the coolest temperature will be attained nearest to the unit while the warmest air temperature will exist at the remote end of the space.
Previous solutions to the foregoing problem involve the use of multiple independent heaters and/or cooling units; however, the foregoing was not practical or convenient for several reasons. Multiple heaters and/or air conditioning units set to maximum power could trip a circuit breaker if plugged into the same circuit. Setting the correct power level for each heating and/or cooling unit is difficult to balance properly and needs to be adjusted periodically as room conditions change. Multiple heaters and/or cooling units must be purchased separately and are difficult to store together when not in use. Maintaining a uniform ambient temperature in a room or space is difficult with multiple independent heater and/or cooling units, as the thermostat for each unit must be independently and continuously adjusted to accommodate changing temperature conditions in the space.
It is objects of the present invention to overcome the prior art impracticalities or inefficiencies by (1) attaining even temperature balance in a large area; (2) automatically adjusting the power and air flow delivered from a heating or cooling unit to prevent a blown circuit; (3) providing intelligence for optimum thermostatic control; and (4) providing heaters and/or cooling units that may be stored as a single assembly when not in use.
The foregoing objects and other objects of the invention are attained in a system for supplying conditioned air into a discrete space for obtaining a desired set point temperature within the space including a plurality of units for providing conditioned air into the space. Each of the units includes an independent power supply cord for connection to a source of electrical power. One of the units includes a master control and the other of the units includes a slave control. The master control includes a temperature control for enabling a user to establish a desired set point temperature within the discrete space. Each of the units includes a thermostat for sensing ambient temperature in the area of the discrete space immediately adjacent the respective unit. Communication devices associated with each of the units enables the master control on one of the units to simultaneously control the operation of each of the units. A communication device transmits a signal from the slave control to the master control. The signal is indicative of the ambient temperature sensed by the thermostat on the other of the units. The communication device transmits a signal from the thermostat of the one unit to the master control indicative of the ambient temperature sensed by the thermostat on the one unit.
The master control generates an output signal. The communication device receives the output signal and transmits second and third output signals to the one unit and the other unit to simultaneously vary the conditioned air output of each unit in inverse proportion to the sensed ambient temperatures to substantially uniformly attain a desired set point temperature in the discrete space.